Hey friend! It’s been a hot minute so I’m so excited to update you on what’s been going on in our neck of the woods.
If you haven’t already noticed, I haven’t been too present on social media recently. That’s because I just finished a 21-day social media fast. For the past three weeks, instead of focusing on social media, I’ve been able to spend more time reading my Bible, hanging out with Chris, taking care of the RV, and playing with Augie. It was the exact kind of refresh I needed!
I plan on posting about the fast – why I did it, what I learned, and why I’m continuing it past the 21 days – so keep an eye out for it.
Anywho, since the end of August Chris and I traded the usual RV park for my step-brother, Cody’s side yard.
Our time spent in the side yard was better than I could’ve imagined!
There’s nothing quite like spending special time with family; hanging out almost every night, playing games together, and going out to eat.
Our time in Missouri reminded me that it’s truly all about the little things in life, especially when those little things include family.
I’ve always been super fortunate to have loving and supportive families by my side through the thick and thin of life, and lucky for me, those families just continue to grow and grow.
For those of you who don’t know, my mom and dad divorced when I was 2. My dad got remarried a couple of years later, but my mom remained single throughout my childhood and teenage years.
Around the start of my senior year in high school, my dad and step-mom got divorced. It was a sad time, but I’ve always wanted what’s best for my dad, so I supported him through it.
Yes, divorce is sad and hard, but instead of looking at it negatively, over the years, I’ve chosen to look at it in a different light; I’ve been gifted an opportunity to call new people family.
What’s cool is that our bond is different than blood. Since we haven’t just been stuck with each other our entire lives, we get the choice to connect and be friends.
When my mom remarried in 2018, I got three new siblings! Not to mention, after my dad started dating my now step-mom (they’re not married but she’s pretty much another mom to me), I got two new siblings! How cool is that?
Two of those siblings from my mom and stepdad’s marriage are the exact people Chris and I went to visit in Missouri!
Before this trip, we hadn’t spent a lot of time together – some of them hadn’t even met Chris. But after this trip, we’re closer than we’ve ever been.
I mean, Chris has played Fortnite with my 6-year-old nephew multiple times since we left Missouri. If that isn’t the cutest thing, then I don’t know what is!
Oh, and while we were there I got to go to Cody’s strongman gym 4 days a week at 5 am. It was an early wake-up call, but it was beyond worth it. I felt like a BEAST rocking with those huge dudes.
Another cool thing that happened while we were in Missouri is that I attended a church small group specifically made for wives. It was the LAST thing I expected to do while I was there.
My step-sister, Chelsey, attends this group every Friday morning and since I was in town I received an invite. Soon enough these women became close friends – so close that I got to spend 1-on-1 time with a couple of them.
I got açaí with a lovely woman named Meagan, and then another lovely woman named Libby invited me to her home.
Now, Libby didn’t just have any old home. She had the home of my dreams!! This beautiful home sat on 6-acres of land with so many fruit trees I lost count, an amazing vegetable garden, chickens, AND their own little trail in the woods in their backyard that led to a creek.
I was able to bring home lots of apples, asparagus, and kale from that visit. It made me this happy ↓
I may or may not have told her to give me a call if her family ever ended up moving 🤪 .
This isn’t where the amazingness of Springfield ends though. Not only did we get to spend quality time with family and make new friends, but we also got to explore A LOT of cool places.
I could sit here and talk for hours about everything we did/our favorite places, but I figured I’d save it all for another time. Come back next week to read all about it 🤩. Here’s a sneak peek of some of the places:
You may not be planning on going to Springfield anytime soon, but after next week’s post, you may want to!
Until next week, friend,
Kaitlin ☼
